I lead book club discussions with English language learners. Today I’m beginning to post images from books we read along with a taste of our discussions.
Italian emigrants, 1900, say good-bye
to Grandmother who remains behind, and calling,
“You’ll eat the food there and forget your home.”* READ MORE
New Hampshire Humanities writes: For fourteen years, America has been mired in war, war being waged by less than one percent of the population. The relatively small number of active military service members has widened a cultural gulf between the military and civilian sectors. Enter the humanities! READ MORE
Music was a big part of writing this book! It begins with Laura Mam’s “Pka Proheam Rik Popreay.” She’s a Cambodian-American singer from California and now Phnom Penh and sings in Khmer. I don’t speak Khmer, but I listened to her music a lot while I wrote, and her singing crosses cultures and languages.Here’s a playlist I put together with the help of Rosa, Sofie’s friend. It includes Laura Mam and the old Springsteen song, “Drive All Night” that Johnny sings to Sofie when he can’t tell her how much he loves her and wants her safe. And “Spanish Dancer” by Patti Scialfa recently recorded by EmmyLou Harris. And “Echo Taps,” played the way I heard it played by buglers at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery. READ MORE
I continue my research on writing across culture. I’m approaching this work with the soul mates – hope, responsibility. Writer Daniel J. Older posted that our task is to recognize “the societal context our work takes place in.” As a white writer, I see my work taking place in the world of:
If you’re teaching students about issues around immigration or you are writing about immigrants, here’s a site that could support you from the American Immigration Council. It’s Teach Immigration’s Share My Lesson. Lessons offered range from ones for preschoolers to high school students. Themes range from “Build an Inclusive Community” to novel studies. I was very interested in “Teaching Behind the Mountains and Immigration,” a study on Edwidge Danticat’s Behind the Mountains, the story of young Celiane growing up in Haiti. READ MORE